"A SHAMELESS LIAR."

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17119, 14 April 1921, Page 9

"A SHAMELESS LIAR."

__ ASTOUNDING RECORD OP CRIME. (from our own correspondent.) LONDON, March 3. A deplorable record of crime was revealed at Bow Street Police/Court on Saturday, when the ease against Frances Eglantine Cunningham was concluded, the accused being sentenced to twelve months' hard labour for obtaining money and jewellery by false pretences, and for incurring credit without disclosing the fact that she was an undischarged bankrupt. Interest is added to the case by reason of the fact that- the prisoner had actually been in possession of a copy of the will of the late Peter Cunningham, of Canterbury, New Zealand, whom she alleged to bo her uncle, and one of her favourite stories was that by this will'she inherited some £BOO,OOO. Her affairs were supposed to be in the hands of a solicitor named Williamson, in Glasgow, and she was in the habit of producing letters purporting to have been written'by this solicitor, who apparently acquainted her from time to .time of sums falling due to her. With the aid of the will and the solicitor's letters she induced people to lend her money to "meet legal and other expenses" until she should come into possession of her fortune. The letters supposed to have come from tho solicitor were found to have been produced by someone with a smattering of legal knowledge, but it: wifs conclusively proved that there was no such solicitor as Williamson in Glasgow who could have sent them to her. Her rooord of crime extended over a period of ten years, and 'during that time she had been convicted at Bradford, .Glasgow, Edinburgh, Westminster, and Bow street, and had served sentences varying in length from three to twelve months. It transpired that the New Zealand story was not a recent invention, but had been employed on several previous occasions. In relating th»i details of the ease, Detective-Sergeant Meaton stated that subsequently to her last release the woman Cunningham had become a Sunday school teacher at St. Paul's Church, in Covent Garden. Holding.this positiou,™she had been able .to 'ingratiate herself with the parents of the children, and under the pretence of having property not yet released to her, she.had borrowed very largely. In one case she had been known to accept money from a child, who had to break open a money-box to satisfy' her request. A Still another story was to fife effect that she was the wife of a certain .clergyman from whom she was separated. As a variation to this particular pretension she named herself tho mistress of a certain other clergyman, frqlh whom she said she was receiving a substantial sum of money. She borrowed all one woman's jewellery to "tide her over." Although most of her victims were poor people and could ill afford to lend their money, she had obtained sums as large as £55, in one case the victim having to borrow a considerable sum to satisfy her "demands..One of her latest "eseapades, however, had its humorous side. She arranged a concert and engaged a number of well-known artists by telephone. Like the Eastern traders, they set a high valuation on their services, but instead of bargaining with them Cunningham promised the fees demanded without demur. Expensive artists arrived at a miserable out-of-the-way hall on the ni<jht of the concert, and reluctantly gave their "turns." At the conclusion they were all rewarded with 1.0.U.'5. As one artist informed me, they had been getting 1.0.U.'s ever since, each time the amount being doubled. The prisoner olected to be dealt with by .tho Magistrate (Sir Charles Biron), though he had. grave doubts, be said, whether he should not send her for trial. The Magistrate asked: How did she manage to get into the position of a Sunday school teacher? Sergeant" Meaton: That is what 1 fail to understand. The Magistrate: She is a shameless liar. She has been trading on the kindness of poor parente. As already related, she was sent to gaol for/twelve months, a sentence which she seemed to consider not erring on the side of severity.